Whether you’re running to up your fitness levels or running to get rid of stress, this high-impact exercise has plenty of mental and aesthetic benefits. And, adidas Runners is a movement that aims to encourage, energize, support and unite runners all across India. This movement is about transforming lives, one run at a time.

Vogue caught up with Ayesha Billimoria, captain of adidas Runners, Mumbai, and Bollywood actress Saiyami Kher, who is training with Ayesha. Kher has challenged herself to run in the IDBI Federal Life Insurance Mumbai Half Marathon on 20th August, and she’s encouraging women from all walks of life to do the same. “Running transforms us physically and mentally. These days, we’re so wired and stressed. It’s the best stress buster and the cheapest form of therapy,” Kher says.

Get preparedBefore you put on your running shoes, it’s important to prepare yourself well. adidas understands your needs and they’ve put together a training programme that strengthens you, physically and mentally. Individual runners have various requirements and this programme is all about specific focus, in a group.

“Running is a great way of getting some cardiovascular activity into your daily schedule. The benefits of running are far-reaching as running also helps in other sports such as badminton, football, tennis, etc. It’s the key component for everything,” says Billimoria.

Ever so often, running comes down to one thing – getting started. And most people don’t even start simply because they’ve not done it before. However, all you need to do is decide – decide to run and then train with the right people. “When people start, we don’t start with kilometres; we usually start with a bit of interval training – a walk-jog. My students start with 100 metres and then I increase it to 200 metres, then 300, and so on,” Billimoria says.

Contrary to what people think, running is meant for everyone, irrespective of your age. When you’re starting out, your trainer will tailor-make the length of your sessions based on your fitness and exercise regime and he/she will gradually increase the duration and intensity of your sessions. “Training requires dedication and discipline. If you are disciplined enough to attend your training sessions and push yourself when required, that’s half the battle won. Preparing yourself for a marathon is all about focus, discipline, dedication and a never-give-up attitude,” says Billimoria.

Billimoria believes that if you want to start running, you simply have to just start!

Fitness goals“My goal as a captain is to build a community of healthy, strong, confident runners. As a coach, I want athletes to enjoy the sport and/or run so that they can carry it forward into the future. I want them to have long term goals, not just short-term goals,” says Billimoria, when we quizzed her about her goals.

Kher, who’s training with Billimoria for Mumbai’s IDBI Federal Life Insurance Mumbai Half Marathon, is known to be a passionate sportsperson herself. “I have always been a fitness freak, and running has always been a part of my routine. So, I really don’t know otherwise. Last year, I ran the marathon in Mumbai, and that’s probably the fittest I’ve ever been. Not only is it great for physical fitness, but the endorphins released post a great run are a wonderful way of always remaining happy!” Kher says.

Under Billimoria’s watchful eye, Kher makes sure that she attends the aR weekly training sessions as often as she can. “I stretch before and after every run. It’s important to do so to avoid injury. I also concentrate on ab exercises because core strength helps me in my running.” Kher continues.

adidas Runners has two sessions every week – an indoor session at Arts in Motion at Khar, Linking Road, on Wednesdays, and an outdoor session on the weekend whose venue changes every week. Each session is about two-hours long and has a mix of long runs, strength and speed interval training. The group of men and women train together and besides individual goals, the group pushes each other to better themselves.

“The goal is to prove that running is an all-inclusive exercise that’s open to everyone. No matter who you are and where you’re from, you can run. When you have a running community, you want them to come, learn and progress. We believe in teaching rather than just running, and that’s what I do – I teach people how to run, exercise and stick to their fitness goals. We’ve seen some tremendous improvement in so many people,” Billimoria says. Besides being trained for the marathon with experienced runners, amateurs can also interact with experts on nutrition, hydration and more.

The pledgeLeading the pack is Bollywood actress, Saiyami Kher, who is participating in the IDBI Federal Life Insurance Mumbai Half Marathon. The fitness enthusiast challenged herself to maintain a consistency with her running routine, and the IDBI Federal Mumbai half marathon is her focus right now. She even motivated girls to participate with her.

“I challenged myself to maintain consistency with a target of running a 10k (which I would like to do a sub 60) and a half marathon. Right now, I’m focusing on IDBI Federal Life Insurance Mumbai Half Marathon. I challenge everyone to push their limits. Participate in IDBI Federal Life Insurance Mumbai Half Marathon and move out of your comfort zones,” Kher says.

Why run?Because you an, because you should. “I think everybody should run but women more so because every month our bodies go through a series of changes. It helps us regularize our cycles and alleviates any other pain or discomfort. Additionally, running is the best stress buster. It’s the cheapest form of therapy,” says Kher.

Running 101 with AyeshaBillimoria’s goal is clear-cut – to teach people how to run. And, this is where adidas Runners is different from the other running groups in Mumbai. “When you have a running community, you want people to come, learn and progress. At adidas Runners, we believe in teaching rather than just running. We teach you how to run and we teach you how to exercise and we’ve seen some tremendous improvement in so many men and women,” she adds.